Effect of Hybrid Addition of Boron Nitride and Vanadium Carbide on Microstructure, Tribological, and Mechanical Properties of the AA6061 Al-Based Composites Fabricated by FSP

This work investigates the impact of friction stir processing (FSP) on the microstructure and mechanical characteristics of AA 6061 alloy and its composites, which are strengthened with boron nitride nanoparticles and vanadium carbide microparticles. Composite samples were created using different proportions of reinforcing particles, including mono and hybrid composites. The efficacy of FSP as a technological method for enhancing the grain size of AA 6061 alloy and its composites has been proven. Adding reinforcing particles led to enhanced grain refinement, especially when using VC particles, which demonstrated greater efficacy than BN particles; thus, mono composite AA6061/VC shows the highest percentage reduction (94.29%) in grain size. Hybrid composites with a higher concentration of VC particles exhibited a more symmetrical microhardness profile. The microhardness of hybrid composites with a larger concentration of VC particles (40 vol.%BN + 60 vol.%VC) shows the most significant enhancement, with an increase of 51.61%. The Young’s and shear modulus of all composite samples processed by (FSP) had greater values than the wrought AA 6061 alloy. The investigated composite samples, especially 60% BN and 40% VC, enhanced the tribological properties of AA6061 and reduced the wear rate by about 52%. The observed characteristics may be due to BN and VC particles in the hybrid compost. This is because these particles effectively prevent grain elongation and inconsistent movement. This is because reinforcing particles can be tailored to have specific properties for specific applications.